Kristy's Senior Year
by kabensi
Summary: KristyCokie, Kristysomeone else who shall remain nameless until I get to that part. This is a sequel to The Kristy Thomas Guide to High School Romance, and is part of the same 'verse as my Charlotte fic but those happen later in the timeline.
1. August

August

First times are extraordinary things. The first time I called the Baby Sitters Club to order was one of the most memorable moments of my life. Same goes for the first Krushers game I ever coached and the first time I met Karen and Andrew, my step siblings. Things are somehow different the first time, clearer, because you're playing attention.

The first time Cokie and I went all the way, I remember Al Green on the Junk Bucket's radio and my hair getting caught on some fancy bracelet she'd worn on our Valentine's date that night. And afterward, with the windows fogged over, we lie there wrapped in my stadium blanket and had one of those lengthy talks about everything and nothing. You know, the schmoopy couple standard.

First times are funny, in that, it's nice to remember so much, but because it's a first time, it means that there will be second and third times, so is it really that important to remember so many details? And the grand irony is that, in general, it's the last times you really wish you could remember. Except you usually don't know it's the last time until it's way too late.

There were a lot of similar factors: the radio, the blanket, the windows. But the conversation was certainly different.

"I think maybe this is the best birthday, ever."

I pulled the blanket tighter around us. It may have been late August, but we didn't need anyone peeking in and catching a free show. There wasn't really much to worry about. Lookout Point has an unspoken understanding about not being nosy. But sometimes people still catch a glance. Sometimes those people are Alan Gray. And sometimes his gym shoes are stolen and run up the flagpole to prevent it from happening again.

Before you go congratulating me on retaliation well done, I have to step in and say that I didn't do a damn thing. My girlfriend, Cokie Mason, is like a vengeance demon. She will get what she wants, oh yes. Years ago, it was the kind of thing that made me want to pull my hair out. Now, it just makes me love her more.

Yeah, yeah. Love. Go ahead and throw up or whatever. We're going on ten months and it's been just swell. Well, it has been swell.

"Kristy?" She rolled away from me, lying on her back, staring at the roof of the car.

"What's up?"

"We... we have to talk."

Anyone in the history of anyone who has ever been in a relationship with someone else will tell you that "We have to talk" is the most feared and gut wrenching phrase your partner can utter.

"About?"

There was a sigh. "My dad."

I surveyed the scenario. Both of us were nearly naked, still sweaty, and still trying to steady our breathing rates from everything we'd just done. "Um, baby, right now?"

She nodded and groped around for her shirt, not saying anything else until we were re-dressed. "He said he's not paying for college."

The fear that had been enveloping my stomach loosened its grip. "Is that it?"

"Kris, this is my whole future!"

"Hey, that's not what I meant. I just... I thought there was something else going on."

"He said he's not paying because of us."

"Us? You and me? That's stupid. I mean, I know he conservative and whatever, but we get along."

"He said it's fine to whore around in high school, but I have to get serious about my-"

"Wait, he said that?" I was seething. "Fuck, I'll kick his ass myself."

"Kristy!"

"What?"

"We have to break up."

"Look, you don't have to..." My anger at Mr. Mason settled just enough for me to notice that Cokie was crying. "Hey... honey, we'll figure this out. There's still time for scholarships and loans and stuff." I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"I told him I'd do it."

"You... what?"

"We agreed that if you and I call it quits, he'll pay the full tuition, just like originally planned."

"B-but..."

"I've already been accepted and it's his dream to have an Ivy League daughter. And there's no way I can pull a scholarship this late."

"W-wait..."

"And, Kristy, I love you. You know that. But we're not all brilliant athletes with great ideas. Some of us have to take what we're given."

She kissed me, one last time. Raspberry vanilla.

I'd thought it had been a little odd that she wanted to meet at the Point, instead of me picking her up. But it wasn't totally unusual. As I heard the Mustang shift into gear and drive away, it made perfect sense.


	2. September

September

I like school. Learning has always been a fun thing for me. And it's nice to have a place to showcase my great ideas.

But, by the first week in, senior year was sucking. There was a very good chance the Junk Bucket was on its last wheels, I had just found out that I might not be able to play softball in the spring, and, even though the news was a good two weeks old, the halls were buzzing with the news of the Thomas/Mason break up.

The bright side of it all was that things could only get better. I hoped. Meanwhile, I was content with slamming my books around inside my locker, looking for a notebook I needed for government class. The search was not going well, as I was already annoyed at Tom Patterson. He's got the lower locker to the left of mine and he always puts his book bag right under my feet.

"When you're done, I kind of need to get into the locker under yours," came a girl's voice from behind me.

"Yeah, sure. Just a sec." I gave up my search and swung the door shut. "Go ahead."

I pivoted, wondering who the mystery locker owner was. I hadn't seen anyone using it all week. And, boom, there she was. Sun-kissed, blonde, and smelling like the hemp products section of Bath and Body Works. Dawn Schaefer was standing in the middle of the Stoneybrook High School southwest hallway, happily smirking at me.

I was so shocked to see her, I took a step back. Well, I tried. Tom's stupid bag got in the way, so, rather than stepping back, I tripped and slammed my head into my locker. Everything slowed down for a second, then faded out.

The next thing I remembered was Dawn, Tom, and Cokie standing over me. Dawn shouted at Tom to get the nurse, while Cokie asked me what my name was.

"Silly. You know what it is." I laughed, but it made my head hurt.

Cokie got closer, looking me in the eye. "Honey, just tell me your name, okay?"

"Kristy... Kristin Amanda Thomas. And yours is Marguerite..."

"Yeah, okay, good work. Shhhh." She was smiling. God, I missed that smile.

Dawn casually pushed Cokie away from me. "I think I can take care of it from here."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know she's okay."

"We'll have the office send you a memo."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Ladies, ladies... it's okay. I'm okay." I sat up. Things were kind of dizzy. "They're just... fine... maybe." Things got a little dim all over again. I laid back down. "That's better."

I ended up in the nurse's office with a mild concussion. Dawn and Cokie stayed on either side of me until the nurse attempted to shoo them off to class.

"Oh, Nurse Hathaway, I've got a free period. Is it okay if I stay with her?"

"Well, okay. Just don't get her too excited."

"Thanks." Dawn smirked at Cokie. "Like I said, I'll have the office send you a memo if anything happens."

Cokie ignored her and looked over at me. "Let me know if you need anything." And then she left.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "God, can you believe her?"

I shrugged. Then I remembered a question I'd had about twenty minutes earlier. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dawn laughed. "Oh yeah. Hi."

"Hi. So, seriously, why are you here? Or is this just a hallucinatory result of the concussion?"

"I'm as real as Jennifer Lopez. Transferred. I was supposed to be here for the first day, but there was some kind of crappy problem with a form or something."

"Mary Anne didn't say anything about you coming out here." I looked around. "Does she know? Do I know something before Mary Anne?"

"She knows. I told her not to tell you. Kind of a surprise."

"Oh."

"You're not mad, are you?"

"Huh? No. Oh, god no. Why would I be mad?" I hugged her. "It's actually really good to see you."

She grinned. "Good. Because I'm here all year. Decided I wanted to do the senior thing with you guys. Like old times."

"Yeah. Old times." I nodded. This could be fun, for sure. And if anyone would help ease the pain of a craptacular school year, it was my friends. And maybe a little Vicadin. My head was killing me.


	3. October

October

Halloween. Yay, candy. Yay, costumes. Yay, one month anniversary of recently defunct long-term relationship.

I wasn't really expecting it to be too difficult. I mean, after all, it happened two months ago. And the last few weeks had been filled with the happy distraction of Dawn's return to Stoneybrook. There had even been a couple sleepovers with Mary Anne, Stacey, and Claudia, making it feel just like when we all ran the Baby-sitters Club together in middle school.

If you're not down with the population of Stoneybrook, Mary Anne Spier is Dawn's All American book smart step-sister (and my best friend of, like, all time), Claudia Kishi's a brilliantly crazy artist who's bound to become (even more) eccentric and live in Europe, and Stacey McGill is the hot New York sophisticate slash number wizard on the path to Wall Street and/or the high fashion world.

With Dawn back in town, I had managed to push any thoughts of Cokie out of my head. Until Halloween. Specifically, the stupid Halloween Hop, the school dance.

Stacey, Claudia and Dawn had come up with the idea to be Charlie's Angels. It came off really well, actually. If they weren't my best friends, I'd have hit on all of them. Hell, Dawn looked so good in those shorts, I almost didn't care that she was one of my best friends. Mary Anne and her boyfriend Logan dressed as Sonny and Cher. And I teamed up with Alan Gray (who's sometimes annoying, but always willing to put together swell costume ideas) as the Bionic Woman and the Six Million Dollar Man. Did I mention that it was seventies week on TV LAND, recently?

Anyway, Alan happens to be just geeky enough to do cool things with electronics, so he made us each a little pocket device that played that bionic "chchchchchch" sound.

So, there we all were, looking like a prime time line up from 1979, with Alan chchchching in slow motion toward the punchbowl, when Wonder Woman walked in. With Superman. And by Wonder Woman, I mean Cokie Mason. And by Superman, I mean that lunkhead Geoff Umbridge, the Ivy League Aryan Cokie had started dating a week before.

I managed to avoid Cokie for at least an hour, but I eventually ran into her in the bathroom.

"Hey." I didn't want to be rude.

"Hey. How's your head?"

"Fine. That was, like, a month ago."

"Yeah. I saw you around school. Figured you were okay."

"So why'd you ask?" Well, not totally rude.

"I just... whatever. Forget about it."

"How's the super stud working out? Got the senior Mason's approval?"

"Kris, that's not fair."

"Not much is."

"Is this how it's gonna be?"

"You broke up with me, Cokie."

"I know. I was just hoping we could... get past that."

"Yeah, well, I'll call you when I get past it."

I shoved the bathroom door open, narrowly missing the Karate Kid and Spiderman. "Sorry," I mumbled at them as I hurried back into the gym.

The Cokie encounter put a serious downer on my holiday mood, so I tried to skip out on the dance. My friends, however, were not going to let me brood alone. We all ended up back at my house, which was devoid of all family, who had gone on a spooky overnight trip to Salem. My ten year-old step-sister, Karen, is crazy about witches and managed to convince my mom and Watson that it would be an educational adventure.

It turned into a nice mini-party. Especially when Alan found himself behind the wet bar. Yeah, we have a bar. Watson's loaded, so our house is, too. Anyway, I don't drink a lot, but I have been known to have a couple when I'm partying with the sports teams or whatever. I'd never really been drinking with the former BCS, though. Turns out, Claudia's a pro and Stacey's not far behind. I would have thought Stace's diabetes would keep her from drinking, but I guess she can just adjust her insulin pump thing to handle it, as long as she doesn't drink too much. It still seems dangerous to me, but she seems to have it under control. I knew Dawn drank sometimes, because she'd called me, more than once, when she'd had a couple. Usually she'd just reminisce about stuff, and once or twice she brought up the time I kissed her when we were thirteen. The real surprise was Mary Anne. Her dad's so strict about so many things, I'm sure he'd murder her if she ever got drunk. Once, when we were freshmen, she accidentally drank part of a wine cooler and panicked for an hour about the smell of alcohol on her breath. But there was Mary Anne, taking raspberry vodka shots with the rest of us. Logan was the only one not drinking, since he had to drive himself and Alan home, eventually.

After the round of vodka shooters, Alan mixed up some concoction he called The Bionic Beverage, saying, "Trust me, my uncle's a bartender" and then led us in a drinking game that involved a deck of cards, with different tasks assigned to each number. If you didn't do whatever was supposed to happen when that card was drawn, you had to drink. Some cards were just assigned to the task of drinking. By the time the game was over, it was time for the boys to hit the road. And after a drunk Mary Anne said a seventeen minute goodbye to her boyfriend, it was just us girls sprawled across the living room floor. While Mary Anne and Logan were... saying goodbye, the rest of us had gotten blankets and sleeping bags out of the closet and set up our impromptu holiday slumber party.

We were just about to launch into a traditional game of Truth or Dare when Stacey's cell phone rang.

She panicked. "Oh god, it's after midnight. I hope it's not my mom with some emergency. What if I have to get home? Who will drive us?"

Claudia picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. "It's Charlotte."

"Oh." Stacey took the phone. "Hello?"

She disappeared into the kitchen.

Claudia shook her head. "I swear, those two."

"Those two what?" Mary Anne squinted, trying to focus on, well, anything.

"It's just... sometimes it's like listening to an old married couple."

"But they're not..." Mary Anne hiccupped. "I mean, Stacey told her they can't be..."

"Please, they're so made for each other, it's ridiculous." Claudia sipped on what was left of her drink.

Dawn settled next to me on the floor, leaning up against the couch. "You think? But Char's so young."

"I'm not saying they should get hitched tomorrow."

Mary Anne giggled. "Hitched."

Dawn nudged me and nodded toward Mary Anne. "Have you ever seen her like this?"

I shook my head. "I'm betting she's in for a helluva hangover."

Dawn nodded, then passed Mary Anne a bottle of water. "Drink that. You'll thank me tomorrow."

"Thanks." Mary Anne fumbled with the bottle, but managed to open it and drink some. "I mean, thanks tomorrow."

An hour later, Stacey was still on the phone, Mary Anne was passed out and Claudia, Dawn and I were gossiping about the latest events at Stoneybrook High. Somehow, Claudia stumbled onto some juicy gossip she'd heard about Geoff Umbridge.

As soon as she mentioned his name, she caught herself. "Oh my lord, I'm sorry Kristy. I didn't mean to bring him up."

I shrugged. "It's okay. He's not the one who fucked me over."

No one said anything for a minute. Dawn just gave me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. We could hear snippets Stacey's conversation from the kitchen. One second it would sound like an argument, then it would shift to a quieter personal tone.

I nodded. "Totally married." My mouth felt fuzzy. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth."

"Good idea." Dawn scrunched up her face. "I wish I'd thought ahead to know I'd end up here."

"I have extras. The dentist is always giving them away." I glanced to Claudia. "You coming?"

She was draped over the loveseat. "No way am I moving."

Dawn and I headed upstairs to my bathroom where I presented her with her very own toothbrush, courtesy of Dr. Hewitt.

"I'n snrry anount da nance."

I rinsed out my mouth. "What?"

Dawn concluded her brushing, rinsed, then repeated herself. "I'm sorry about the dance."

"Yeah, well. There will be other dances." I looked at our reflections in the bathroom mirror. "We look like Studio 54 at last call. You want something to sleep in?"

Dawn nodded, grateful. "Yes, please."

We ambled into my bedroom. I was still carrying the tail end of my buzz, and from the way Dawn kept giggling, I think she was, too. She perched on the edge of my bed while I dug through the dresser for sleepwear.

"Hey, Kris? Remember that time when we were thirteen?"

"Yep. We were thirteen for a whole year." I pulled out a pair of Old Navy sleep pants. "Although, I really did seem like a hell of a long time."

"I meant, specifically, that time when we were thirteen and we kissed."

"I kissed you. I don't think you did anything but stand there."

"Yeah. It was nice, though."

I successfully managed to find two sets of pajamas. "I know. You say that every time you bring it up."

I handed her a set of PJs. Dawn took them, but also grabbed my hand.

"What's up?"

"Just wanna see something." She stood up, which put her really, really close to me.

And then she kissed me. And it was nice. Better than the last time we'd ended up in this position, because there was active kissing from both parties.

This was not the first time I'd found myself in a sudden liplock with a drunk girl. Let's hear it, once again, for those jock parties. But this wasn't just any girl. And I'm pretty sure she wasn't that drunk.

I gently pushed Dawn away. "Hey, don't go doing anything that you're gonna regret tomorrow."

She sat back down on the bed. "It was the not doing it I'd regret."

"What happened to the whole weirdness because we're such close friends thing?" I took a seat next to her.

"We were thirteen." She shrugged. "And what the hell did I know?"

"Made sense at the time."

"What about now?"

"Now... we're still really close friends."

"So, maybe the next question is... how close is too close?"

She said those last few words with her mouth right against my ear, which gave me chills down the entire side of my body. Not sick or cold chills, but those warm-oh-crap-this-is-turning-me-on-way-too-quickly-and-easily kind of chills.

"I, um, I don't know. How exactly would we go about finding that out?"

Dawn grinned and pushed me back onto the bed. "It's easy. Simple experimentation."

She leaned down and kissed me.

And I didn't care anymore about Cokie and stupid Geoff or that three of our friends were downstairs or that my family would be home sometime tomorrow and I'd have to clean up the house before then. All I cared about was the gorgeous blonde who seemed intent on getting as close to me as possible before it was too much.

The funny thing? There didn't seem to an issue with getting too close. It seemed like we couldn't get close enough.


	4. November

November

"Thanksgiving!"

"Thanksgiving!"

"Thanksgiving!"

Karen and my brother David Michael (eleven years old) were chanting as they marched into the kitchen. Andrew (eight) followed them, pulling Emily-Michelle (seven) in a wagon as she waved to invisible people on either side of her.

My older brothers Charlie (twenty-one) and Sam (nineteen) were both home from college for the holiday and we had been enjoying a semi-peaceful breakfast. Normally, I like to take full advantage of a day off from school and sleep until at least ten, but I'd heard Karen rehearsing this very same parade at eight-thirty and couldn't get back to sleep.

Charlie opened the door to the backyard and herded them outside.

"Good call," said Sam through a mouthful of Frosted Flakes.

I socked him in the arm. "Aw, they're just being creative."

"That creativity robbed me of at least two hours of sleep."

Yeah, okay, I could sympathize.

Mom came into the kitchen, looking surprised to see us all awake already. "Good. I need some help with the—"

"Oops, is it nine-thirty already?" Sam looked at his watch. "I told some of the other guys I'd meet up for some morning football."

Charlie dumped his cereal bowl in the sink. "I'll give you a ride."

They both gave Mom a kiss on the cheek and abandoned me.

Mom just shook her head and shouted after them. "Four-thirty! Don't think we won't start without you!"

I rinsed out my juice glass. "I thought we weren't eating till six."

Mom smiled. "Exactly."

"What do you need help with?"

"Would you please take Shannon for her morning walk?"

"Consider it done."

Shannon's our dog. Alpine something or other. Purebred. A friend of mine, also named Shannon, gave her to us when our old beloved collie, Louie, died. I grabbed Shannon's leash from the mudroom and went outside to find her.

I found her with the parade in the backyard. By now it had evolved into more of a performance. Emily-Michelle was now (according to Karen) Pocahontas who was getting married to Christopher Columbus (played by Andrew) to somehow symbolize the true meaning of Thanksgiving. I really wondered what Karen's history grades were like.

"I'm taking Shannon for a walk. Mom's in the kitchen if you need anything."

Karen held up her hand. "Please! This is a sacred ceremony!"

I apologized and walked Shannon around the house to the sidewalk. As I walked, I thought about calling Dawn, but with the time difference, it wasn't even seven o'clock in California. She'd gone to her dad's for the holiday.

Things had been off and on between us since Halloween. Well, not off and on, just not definite. Dawn's such a free spirit and doesn't like to be confined and labeled and whatever. Which is probably better, since I was still recovering from the Cokie incident. Three months is a good amount of time, but sometimes the burn still stings, you know?

The other benefit of Dawn's open perspective was that it left me feeling guilt free when I ran into people like Shannon Kilbourne.

Shannon's a neighbor, a friend, and a former member of the BCS. She, as you very likely figured out, is the same Shannon who gave us the dog. When we first met, I thought she was a snobby bitch, but she turned out to be pretty cool.

I happened to catch her just as she was coming out of her house, walking her dog, Astrid.

"Kristy?"

"Hey!"

I waited for her to catch up, then we started walking together. "How's senior year at Westlake?"

Westlake's a private boarding school for middle and high school students.

"Tough. But fun. We're teaming up with some of the underclassmen for a mentoring project. I'm actually working with Charlotte."

Charlotte Johannsen, the kid who's madly in love with Stacey, just transferred there last year.

"Wow, that's cool. How's she doing?" Charlotte had opted to go to Westlake last fall, and I'm pretty sure it had everything to do with Stacey.

"She's smart. So smart. But she's a little dark."

"Our Charlotte?" Char was the sweetest, shyest kid you could ever meet.

Shannon nodded. "Yeah. But, thirteen. It's a crazy time, you know?"

"I guess. I mean, when I was thirteen, this girl kept tormenting me just because I'd moved into her neighborhood." Once, Shannon called and told me the house I was babysitting in had caught on fire, just to get a rise out of me.

She laughed. "And then you called the diaper delivery service and said you were me. My mom was so confused that morning."

It was my turn to giggle. We turned the corner of our block and headed toward the park.

I used to classify Shannon as "The Kinder, Gentler Blonde Cokie Mason" because they both had money, popularity, and looks. Shannon even had that brief history of trying to torture me. But that was before I'd dated Cokie. And even with everything that happened, I knew the real Cokie, and she wasn't that mean. Except she could be. You know, when she wanted to torment someone and break their heart. Stupid Cokie.

"You okay?"

I must have been silently fuming over Cokie for a while. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thinking."

"You wanna come over for a while? We could watch some of the Twilight Zone Marathon or something? Catch up on stuff."

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

We finished walking the dogs and I dropped the canine Shannon back at the house, shouting to Mom that I'd be back by four-thirty. Shannon, of the human variety, has digital cable in her very own bedroom, which is totally cool and kind of silly all at once, considering that she doesn't even live at home and hardly ever uses it. We settled in on her queen-sized bed and tuned into the world of Rod Serling.

"So, what's new in Stoneybrook?"

"Nothing, really. You already know about the break-up."

She nodded.

"And... I dunno. Stacey and Claudia are talking about designing some clothes and getting some of the shops to sell them. It might actually be a great match, with Claud's ideas and Stacey's brain for business. Sam's already talking about switching his major. And Charlie's graduating this year, so Mom's all abuzz with graduation fever since I graduate SHS this year, too."

"It feels like it came so fast, doesn't it?"

"Graduation? Yeah. Like, when you're a freshman, it's so far away. But now..."

"Yeah. But seriously, I'm glad. Especially because it's the end of uniforms. If I never wear plaid skirts and knee socks again, it'll be too soon."

"But it's hot!"

"That's because you don't see it everyday."

"Please, if I went to private school, particularly boarding school, with outfits like that, I'd never get any work done."

"Keep in mind, not everyone looks hot in them."

"You do."

"Well, that's me. And since when do you think about how hot I look in plaid skirts and knee socks?"

"All the time. Since that day I saw you across the street at the bus stop and you were in your Stoneybrook Day School get up."

She hit me with a pillow. "Whatever."

"I'm serious. You were hot. Which is one of the reasons I pegged you as a total bitch."

"I kind of was."

"It's okay, it worked for you." A thought flashed through my mind. "Can I ask you a— Nevermind."

"What?"

"No, it's none of my business."

"Now you have to ask."

"I just... I was gonna ask that, since you go to an all girls school, if you ever, like, you know..."

"If I ever what?" The smirk on her face told me she knew exactly what I was going to ask.

"If you ever make out with girls or whatever."

She laughed. "Kristy. Of all people, you can't just ask me if I've hooked up with girls?"

I shrugged. "Well?"

"Well what?"

I threw the pillow back at her. "Have you?"

She bit her lip before answering. "Yes."

"Yes, as in, you were drunk and it was on a dare and you don't even really remember it? Or yes, as in, you wanted to kiss someone and it involved a hot seduction involving that whole skirt and socks combo?"

"You are so hung up on the outfit thing."

"Shannon!"

"Yes, as in, I was curious and wanted to satisfy said curiosity."

I gave her an expectant look, telling her I wanted more details.

She sighed. "Last spring, a week before school let out."

"You were home all summer and didn't tell me?"

"You never asked. Anyway, she was a senior and I'd seen her around since at least the year before. And at first, I just really admired her, and then when I joined the school paper last year, I got to know her. And after a while, I just really wanted to kiss her. So, we were hanging out after putting the final paper of the year together and I just told her."

"Hi, newspaper girl, let's make out."

"Not so much. But kind of."

"And..."

"And that's it."

"How was it?"

"It was all right. Better than most guys I've kissed, for sure."

"Just all right? Was she doing it right?"

"It was fine. I just... maybe expected it to be more exciting."

"She was totally doing it wrong."

"You don't know that. You weren't there."

"Well, I could show you the right way, and then you can tell me if that's how she did it." I was really only half kidding.

"Yeah, right."

"Hey, I'm a good kisser. I can give you references."

"I don't doubt it. I just... you don't want to kiss me."

"I just offered."

"You would kiss me?"

"Remember the whole hotness of you in the uniform conversation?"

"All right. Fine. Okay. Go."

"You can't just say go."

"Because that's just weird." As if on cue, the Twilight Zone theme played on the TV. "See?"

"Okay, then how do we do this?"

"First, stop thinking about it so much. Jeez, how did you even get this newspaper girl where you wanted her?"

"It was different!"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." I repositioned myself on the bed so that I was sitting directly across from her, cross-legged. "Now, close your eyes."

Her eyes closed. "You know, Kristy, I have kissed before."

"Shut up." I leaned toward her, but as I got closer, we both giggled. I cleared my throat. "Okay, really."

I moved in again, this time giggle-free, and gently kissed her. I had been prepared for the kiss to be relatively touch-and-go, but Shannon nixed that idea by kissing back. Kissing back really, really well. And when I started to pull back and end the kiss, she grabbed the strings of my hoodie and tugged me back in for more.

By the time she'd had enough, the credits were rolling on the latest episode in the marathon.

"Yeah. She was definitely doing it wrong."

I gave her a playful smirk. "Told you."


	5. December

TITLE: Kristy's Senior Year - December  
AUTHOR: freelance spice  
RATING: PG13  
PAIRING: Kristy/Cokie, Kristy/Dawn  
WORD COUNT: 1200 something  
SUMMARY: Senior year. Things change. A lot.  
NOTES:This is a sequel to The Kristy Thomas Guide to High School Romance, and is part of the same 'verse as my Charlotte fic (but those happen later in the timeline). And to you who have been following these fics, I thank you. And I apologize for making you wait so long. I'll try to make it up to you.

You would think that being in sunny Southern California, where it's sixty-five degrees on the last and final day of the year would be thrilling and full of adventure. You would think.

Not that it wasn't nice. And I'm really putting a negative spin on it. Truth is, I was just bored.

I'd flown out to see Dawn over the last half of Winter Break, while she was out visiting her dad and brother, Jeff. The Christmasy part was spent at home, in Stoneybrook with all the joys of family holiday time, and then, the day after Christmas, I hopped a plane to spend part two on the opposite coast. This plan sounded awesome (perhaps, even, dibbly fresh) when Dawn and I conjured up the whole thing a few weeks ago. We'd been spending more time with each other and less time with other people, which was nice. Because, while it's nice to be free and breezy with relationship stuff for a little while, it's even nice to feel somewhat secure.

I wasn't bored the whole time, either. Jeez, I'm not a total jerk. I was just bored on this particular day. See, we weren't staying at the Schafer's regular house in Anaheim. Instead, we were at Mr. Schafer's timeshare condo in San Diego. This meant that we were right on the beach and close to a lot of cool shops and stuff. This also meant that there was nothing really in the condo to do if, say, you were left alone for a few hours while everyone else went to go visit an old aunt.

Anyway, I'd opted to stay behind while Dawn and company went off to do their holiday visitation. Originally, I'd planned to veg out on the massive digital cable line-up, but I couldn't find any of the thirty-five thousand remotes that go to the television and all it's accessories. Instead, I left a note on the fridge grabbed by laptop bag and headed to the Starbucks on the corner. Coffee and wifi, oh my.

I was well into my caramel frappuccino when hell froze over. At first, I thought maybe it was a side-effect of brain freeze, but after a few blinks and a solid shake of the head, she was still there.

Cokie Mason. In California. In Starbucks. In low cut stretch jeans and a light clingy sweater, that both probably came from one of those stores that are way too dark and loud inside and reek of boys cologne.

"What are you doing here?" This was the first thing out of my mouth. And the first half came out loud, while the second half happened after I realized I was speaking and so I dropped the volume. So, what the rest of Starbucks heard was, "WHAT ARE YOU" and then some indeterminable gibberish.

She was alone, her sunglasses pushed up on her head, holding back her hair that was somehow lacking frizz and maintaining body in the midst of beach humidity. She was just as surprised to see me.

"Kris?" For a second, there was a lilt in her voice, saying my name as if we'd never split up, as if we'd always been together and we'd just planned to meet up, here, at the Starbucks, like any other day. Then it was gone. "Kristy. What are you doing here?"

I smirked. "I think I asked first."

It's difficult how easy it is to fall back into a rhythm.

"Right. Um, I'm just here for a couple days. Checking out a school. I actually got a scholarship offer. Kind of exciting."

"A scholarship? Cokie, that's awesome." By this time I was standing next to her while she waited in line. I didn't even remember getting out of my seat.

She actually brightened up. "Yeah. It's not a full ride, but it's still a really good, you know, overall thing, so..."

"Cool."

"So... what are you doing here? It's your turn, right?"

"Yes. It is. And I'm out here visiting with Dawn. Her dad has a thing, we're staying there. Just up the street." That's right. I was out here with Dawn. Who, for all intents and purposes was my girlfriend. Though we hadn't laid down any actual exclusivity rules or anything. But we had been spending a lot of time together.

"Cool."

Silence.

"What's it for?"

"What?"

"The scholarship. How'd you get it?"

"Oh, I wrote a thing. An essay."

"Like a contest?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"And you won."

"Yeah."

"That's awesome."

We'd reached the front of the line. Cokie placed her order, then dug through her purse.

"Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"I think I left my wallet at Kelly's."

"Don't worry about it." I handed my Starbucks gift card to the clerk. "I'm rolling in Starbucks. Starbucks bucks?"

She laughed. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me, thank Santa. It was in my stocking."

"Well, then thanks, Santa."

"So, um, who's Kelly?"

"Kelly. My... wait, what are you jealous? I know that look."

"No! I just wondered... Kelly... Clarkson your American Idol?"

"My cousin, dork. You met her last Easter."

"Oh, Kelly! Right. With the magazines and painting her nails the whole time."

"Yes."

"She goes to college?"

"Yes."

"Did she write a thing, too, or is she paying her way through doing manicures or something?"

"Her parents took care of it. Why are you so interested?"

"Just making conversation. It's been a while, you know."

"It's been a while since you've made conversation? You, Kristin Amanda Thomas?"

"No, I meant it's been a while since I've conversed with you, Marguerite."

She rolled her eyes at the use of her full name. "Yeah, it has. And it's nice. To talk."

"I guess we've really done well with all the avoidance tactics. I mean, we do live in the same town and go to the same school and stuff."

"And yet here we are. In California. In Starbucks."

"To be fair, Starbucks owns a large percentage of the populated world, so the chances of up running into each other in one are, like, one in three."

There was that smile, again. It was the one that said, "You are so weird. But a cute weird." I knew it so well, but it had been ages since I'd really seen it.

My cellphone chimed, text message received. I picked it up and glanced at it, but I already knew it was Dawn. They were back.

"That's Dawn. I should probably get back."

"Yeah. Sure. I need to go, anyway."

"Right." I started to pack my laptop away.

"Hey, Kris?"

"Yeah?"

"It was good to see you."

"You too."

And she was out the door. I sighed. Wow. That was... interesting. But I handled it. And I'd be just fine. I'd even tell Dawn about it. We'd probably laugh at the coincidence of it all. Dawn's all into weird occurrences like that. Like on LOST, how everything's all weird and connected and every time Dawn watches it, she spends hours afterward analyzing what it all means. She's a freak. A sexy, sun-kissed California hippie granola freak, that is.

My Cokie days were over, Dawn and I were doing really well, and the new year was just around the corner.

I was ready for anything.


	6. January

TITLE: Kristy's Senior Year - January  
AUTHOR: freelance spice  
RATING: PG13  
PAIRING: Kristy/Cokie, Kristy/Dawn  
WORD COUNT: 2400 something  
SUMMARY: Senior year. Things change. A lot.  
NOTES:This is a sequel to The Kristy Thomas Guide to High School Romance, and is part of the same 'verse as my Charlotte fic (but those happen later in the timeline). And I realize that TECHNICALLY this is still December. But it's the January fic, mmm kay?

-

Okay, so remember when I said I was ready for anything?

Apparently, I wasn't.

I was ready to tell Dawn about my run in with Cokie. I was ready to laugh at the weirdness of it all. I was ready to start the new year with a new outlook on life, not holding on to the past.

I was not, however, ready for Dawn to pull me into a whirlwind of preparation for some New Year's Eve party that was starting in only so many hours and it was going to take at least an hour to get there and her friends (these would be the ones she just ran into who extended the invitation to said party) would be here to pick us up by four o'clock. No, I wasn't ready for that. Because, Dawn was chattering away a thousand miles a minute, trying to explain to me who these guys were (friends from her old high school) and where we were going (some town called Neptune), all while trying to figure out what to wear, because we hadn't really brought any party clothes to the condo.

I wasn't really that concerned. I'm not that keen on dressing up fancy for events that do not end with two people getting married to each other. And, it was weird, because Dawn's pretty casual most of the time. But sometimes she can get really girly, I guess. If Mary Anne were here, they'd be flitting around and shrieking about outfits, I'm sure.

By the time we found ourselves riding in the back seat of some guy's SUV, Dawn had changed her clothes twelve times. This does not count the mixing and matching of accessories. At one point, she even sent our friend Claudia pictures of earrings, over her cell phone, just to get an opinion other than my, "Yeah, that looks fine."

I saw no problem with my jeans, button up shirt, and sneakers. I mean, at least I was wearing a shirt with buttons and not a t-shirt.

Dawn's friends were really nice. The guy, Logan (which I remembered immediately because it's Mary Anne's boyfriend's name), was kind of cocky, but friendly. His girlfriend, Veronica, was super cool and one of those people who will spend a long car ride turned around and talking to you instead of just shouting over the radio. Also, I immediately liked her because, she was also wearing jeans and sneakers.

When we finally got to the party, I realized it was a college party, in a dorm on the third floor. Most of the students were gone for the holiday, but anyone staying behind was partying hard. And this was before the sun even went down. I wondered if any of them would be conscious for the new year.

Logan introduced us to some people and Veronica gave us a couple personal tips about parties, the most important being to always get your own drink and to hold on to it at all times. This is the kind of stuff you always hear, but when she said it, something in her voice told me to take it very seriously.

The party was total madness. Beer pong, flip cup, and half a dozen other drinking games were happening throughout the dorm. I'd been to some intense parties in Stoneybrook, or I thought I had. The varsity sports teams like to get together after games and get rowdy, but that seemed pretty low key compared to the California collegiate counterpart.

Dawn was chatting with some old friends she'd found and reminiscing about her California high school. I got bored and eventually wound up in a round of flip cup. It's this game where two teams line up on opposite sides of a table and each person in succession has to drink their cup of beer, then place the cup on the edge of the table and flip it so it lands right side up. Yeah, it's one of those that sounds easy enough (and is, for the sober), but proves to be impossible when you're trying to do it.

By the time the round was over, I didn't see Dawn where I'd left her, so I started looking around. I couldn't even find Logan or Veronica. I'm pretty outgoing, so I wasn't too concerned, but it is a little weird to be surrounded by people you don't know.

It's even weirder to run into someone you never expected to see, twice in the same day.

"Kristy?"

"Okay, what is this? Am I being Punk'd?" I crossed my arms and tried to look annoyed.

Cokie, once again, was right in front of me, across the entire United States from where she should have been.

"Yes. Ashton Kutcher is behind that tree, over there." She pointed to a small fake plant in the corner. "Why are you here?"

I motioned to the surrounding chaos. "The party. Duh."

"Okay, why are you here at the party at Hearst College, sixty miles from where I saw you this morning?"

"I don't know. Dawn's friends are here or something."

"Ah."

"So, is this the scholarship place?"

"Yep."

"Seems like they offer plenty to learn." I glanced at a couple who was making out in the corner. "That could be you next year."

She rolled her eyes. "I can only hope."

"So, where's Kelly?"

"Kelly, the loving cousin she is, kicked me out of her room so she can have sex with her new boyfriend."

"Ew!"

We laughed.

"It's college, Kris, people do that." She held up a bottle of Bacardi in her hand. "It's okay, though, I snagged this before she booted me out."

"Lucky for you, I am a skilled in the ways of rum and coke." I grabbed two plastic cups off the beverage table and scooped ice into them.

"Oh my god, you are so talented."

"Don't get your hopes up, this is the extent of my bartending abilities. So, don't do asking for a Long Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Cold Hard Wall with a Twist or anything."

Often times, my mouth runs off before my brain catches up and I end up saying stuff without thinking.

"I'll... try not to ask for that, then." Cokie smirked.

I just kept my mouth shut long enough to pour the drinks and hand one to her. "Um, so. You really think you'll end up here?"

"Maybe. I like it. Although, I haven't really seen the classes or anything. But the campus is nice."

"Yeah. It's just so far. From home."

"Yeah. But, scholarship, hey."

"Yeah." There was something in the back of my brain that had been buzzing since that morning. Cokie and I broke up because of her father. More specifically, her father's money that would be going into her education. If Cokie had a scholarship, even a partial one, she might not need his money. I took a big drink.

"I know what you're thinking, Kristy. And I don't know, yet. So, let's just not talk about it, okay?"

"How do you...?" Sometimes she was creepy like that, knowing exactly what I had on my mind. "Yeah, okay."

And, really, even if I'd wanted to talk about it, I couldn't, because Dawn emerged from the depths of the party.

"Hey, I was looking for you..." Apparently, she hadn't seen Cokie until that moment. "Oh. Hey." Dawn looked at me, then at Cokie.

"Hi, Dawn." Cokie greeted, casually. "Kristy and I were just talking about how weird it is that we'd end up here-- all of us-- here at this party, like, a thousand miles away from home."

"Oh. Yeah, that's really weird." Dawn snuck a glance back at me. "Um, so, what are you doing here?"

I answered for her. "She's got a thing. A scholarship thing."

"Maybe. I don't know, yet." Cokie shrugged.

"Wow. Congratulations. If you get it. That's really cool." Dawn looped her arm through mine. "Kristy, I want you to meet some people. See you, Cokie."

And then Dawn pulled me away, down some hallway, into a room full of even more strangers. I was just glad the encounter hadn't escalated into something else. Dawn's really laid back, but she doesn't like Cokie, because of our break-up.

"That was weird, huh?" She said, after introducing me to some people.

"Yeah. And twice in one day? Super weird." Crap. Had I just said that?

"Twice?"

"Um, yeah, she was at the Starbucks this morning."

"By the condo?"

"Yeah."

"She just ran into you? Out of the blue?"

I nodded. Dawn doesn't get jealous, like, ever.

"Were you planning to tell me or was I not supposed to know?"

Except now.

"Dawn, I didn't know she was going to be here."

"Well, it's pretty convenient."

"I can't help where people show up."

"Whatever. It's not like I'm your girlfriend, anyway. Do what you want."

Ouch. And even worse, people were watching all this. I can get pretty dramatic, but this was too much for even me.

"Okay, fine. I'll be out there somewhere, just call my cell when we're all leaving."

"Yeah. Fine."

I made my way back out into the hall. My cup was empty, so I headed back toward the drink tables. Cokie was still there, sitting on the edge of a sofa, talking to some blond guy. As I got closer, I could tell that she had no interest in what he had to say. I could also tell that was coming on to her. So, I did what any girl does to save another girl from the unwanted advance.

"Hey, baby, there you are!" I walked over and draped my arm around Cokie. "Everyone's been asking where you are."

Cokie ran with it and leaned into me. "Sorry, honey, I was just talking to Dirk, here."

"Dick," the guy interjected.

"I'm sorry, I was talking to Dick, here, and I just lost track of time." She held out her cup. "Mix me another and then we'll meet up with... Ross and Rachel?"

"Yeah, sure." I took the cup and refilled both of our drinks.

Dick snorted as he took a chug of his beer. "Whatever. You guys can fake it up to get away, but it's not cool."

I feigned ignorance. "Fake?"

"Yeah, yeah. All girls play the lezzie card when they want to get away from Dick." He looked me over. "You, yeah, okay, I'll buy it, but you..." He leered at Cokie. "You're not into the whole chick vibe."

"You don't think so?" Cokie reached over and looped two fingers through my belt, pulling me toward her.

Before I had a chance to say anything or even ask what was happening, she was kissing me. And there it was, everything I'd been missing since the end of summer. Every night that I'd cursed Cokie Mason evaporated as her hands slid around my waist, holding me against her. If the entire maneuver had been a ploy to get Dick to lose interest, it hadn't really worked.

Now he was just staring and shouting, "Chicks making out!"

Cokie broke the kiss but still kept me close. "You wanna go somewhere where we're not the sideshow?"

I nodded. We politely bowed to the small crowd of guys who had gathered to watch us, grabbed our drinks and headed off to find somewhere we could talk. Or whatever.

Most of the dorm rooms were full of people making out or smoking out, so we kept moving down the hall to the stairwell, where more people were lighting up their various vices. Eventually, the we found that the laundry room was both empty and warm. Also, it smelled like fresh laundry, which is a great scent to kick off the new year, if anyone asks.

Of course, now that we were alone, one of us had to say something. At first, I was worried about awkward silence.

Fortunately, Cokie started laughing. "And then we'll met up with Ross and Rachel?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind!"

"You are such a dork."

"I was just trying to save you from Dick." I hopped up and sat on the edge of one of the folding tables.

"As always."

We both laughed, but then it died down and left more of that silence. I stared at my drink, watching the ice cubes float around.

"I'm sorry, Kris."

"It's okay. I mean, you had to do something to get that guy off your back. And I really have no complaints when it comes to kissing attractive girls." While I was joking, it was true. Who doesn't like kissing hot girls?

"No, I mean, I'm sorry about... us. Before."

"Oh. Um, well, that's okay. It's over. We've both moved on or whatever." I took a drink. "How is Geoff, anyway?"

"We... broke up. Like a month ago."

"Oh. I didn't know."

"You've been busy with Dawn and stuff. And I'm sure you weren't keeping tabs on my social life."

"Yeah, sure. Dawn and I are... we were... I don't know."

"I thought you guys were... a thing."

"I guess. But not really. And not after tonight. She was kind of upset, earlier. About you."

"Jeez, I... crap. If you need to go talk to her, go ahead."

"No, it's okay. I'd kinda rather just... stay here."

She settled next to me on the edge of the table. "Remember last year? At Claudia's New Year's Party?"

"And Alan Gray wouldn't stop asking Stacey to kiss him at midnight?"

"Only he passed out at eleven-thirty? What a dork."

She rested her head on my shoulder. "I miss you."

"Miss you, too."

"So let's not do this."

"What, sit here?"

"No, let's not be broken up, anymore."

"What about college?"

"Screw college. It's just a bunch of drunks."

"Tell you what..."

"What?"

"Well, since it is traditional to kiss someone at midnight, I'll be your girlfriend for..." I checked my watch. Eleven seventeen. "The next forty-three minutes."

"And after that?"

"After that, I don't know." I scooted back on the table, so I could lean against the wall. Cokie leaned back against me.

"Forty-three minutes, huh? What do you want to do?"

"List and spell all of the fifty states, alphabetically?"

She suddenly moved forward and slipped off the table. "Actually, I think I want another drink."

"Oh. We left the rum upstairs."

"I'm sick of rum and coke. I was thinking more about that other drink you mentioned? Long Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Cold Hard Wall with a Kiss?"

"You mean a twist."

She reached over and flipped the light switch down, plunging the room into darkness. I felt her hands grab the collar of my shirt as she pulled me to her. "No. I don't."


End file.
